Ayatollah Khomeini aka Hindi
Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini used Hindi as his pen name when he composed ghazals. His grandfather, Seyyed Ahmad Musavi Hindi, emigrated from India to Khomein in Iran in the 1830s.
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Akbar the Great
Akbar the Great literally means Great the Great making it a tautology. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Ali Akbar.
The canal bank Nehrus
The family name of the Nehru family is actually Kaul. A Kashmiri ancestor of Jawaharlal Nehru named Raj Kaul came to be called Raj Kaul Nehru as his jagir was situated along the banks of a canal (a Nahar). The Kaul was later dropped.
Anaconda, the elephant killer
The name of the Anaconda, one of the most impressive snakes in the world, is said have its origins in Tamil where Anaikondran translates to something along the lines of elephant killer.
Action-Slave Fascination-Moon Grocer
According to journalist, writer, and professor, G.V. Desani, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's name literally translates to Action-Slave Fascination-Moon Grocer.
Ravi and John Coltrane
John Coltrane, the legendary jazz saxophonist, had a son named Ravi who was named after Pandit Ravi Shankar. Ravi Coltrane is also a saxophonist.
Smiling Buddha
India's first nuclear test was conducted in 1974 in Pokharan, Rajasthan. It was codenamed Smiling Buddha.
Chennai's Dhole
The Tamil word for the dhole (aka Asiatic wild dog aka Indian wild dog) is Chennai (red dog).
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